Bookstore, cafe, and activist space Bluestockings is fittingly the space for the NYC release event of The Doulas: Radical Care For Pregnant People. The book was written by Mary Mahoney and Lauren Mitchell, founders of The Doula Project, a NYC-based organization founded in 2007 that works to provide care and support to pregnant people “across the spectrum of choice,” meaning they will be there for pregnant individuals “whether they face birth, miscarriage, stillbirth, fetal anomaly, or abortion.” Their new book acts as a history of the organization’s work thus far through individual anecdotes chronicling the decision-making that typically goes on behind closed doors, as well as a “guidebook for the future.” The event will feature readings from the book by the authors, and is co-sponsored by a variety of women’s and reproductive health organizations based in New York and elsewhere. Such an evening is unfortunately timely as the future of reproductive choice and health becomes more and more unclear, so there is no time like the present to familiarize yourself with workers and organizations such as this, while you still can.

(image via Jacobin / Facebook)

A Blueprint for a New Party: Jacobin Issue 23 ReleaseMonday, November 21 at Mayday Space, 7 pm: FREE

Jacobin, a magazine centering left-leaning and socialist voices in regards to politics, economics, and culture, celebrates the release of its 23rd issue tonight at Bushwick community organizing hub Mayday Space. Rather than just a social event in honor of the new issue, the evening will focus partially on an article in the issue by Jacobin editorial board member Seth Ackerman, “A Blueprint for a New Party.” The piece considers tangible methods to take in order to actually imagine and form “a democratic organization rooted in the working class,” especially now with regard to Donald Trump’s election and the recent popularity of Bernie Sanders. Nicole M. Aschoff, managing editor of Jacobin, will also take part in the discussion. After a hearty intellectual chat, you’ll be able to relax your brain for a moment afterwards with “beer and smooth tunes.” Considering you’ve probably been wracked with stress in one way or another in the past two or so weeks, I’d say the smoother the tunes, the better.

(flyer via Verso Books / Facebook)

Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without WorkTuesday, November 22 at Miguel Abreu Gallery, 7 pm: FREE

Philosophy-oriented publishing company Sequence Press, located within the Miguel Abreu Gallery on the Lower East Side, teams up with London-based independent radical publishing house Verso Books for this panel discussion revolving around Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work, written by Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams, both lecturers at City, University of London. The book embraces a high-tech future rather than framing such a thing as intimidating or dangerous. It imagines a world where wage labor is offset by technology, and in doing so can offer an “emancipatory” life free from the clutches of capitalism. With all the recent focus on the white working class of the Rust Belt states and their role in the 2016 election, talks of such a future seem intriguing and, if anything, might be able to get your mind off our current dismal realities for a bit. Joining the two authors of the book in conversation will be writer and philosopher Alain Badiou, who will respond to the “ambitious” claims made in the book.

After you’ve stuffed your face with some turkey, tofurkey, cranberry, pie, Seamless, or whatever you’ve got lying around in your cupboard, consider doing some learning about what you might have put into your body with KnowScience’s presentation on “The Science of GMOs.” Still a controversial and complex issue, GMOs are often either seen as harmless or as something to be wildly legislated. There is probably truth to both of those stances, and there’s no day like the Sunday after Turkey Day to get illuminated about this stuff. Kate Bredbenner, a scientist at Rockefeller University’s Lab of Cellular Biophysics who studies “virus DNA engineering using fluorescence microscopes,” will school you on this multifaceted acronym. Expect informative and unbiased facts about how GMOs manifest in the real world, the pros and cons of them, and the science behind it all.

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About B + B

Bedford + Bowery is where downtown Manhattan and north Brooklyn intersect. Produced by NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute in collaboration with New York magazine, B + B covers the East Village, Lower East Side, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, and beyond. Want to contribute? Send a tip? E-mail the editor.